Forts of Vincennes, Indiana
Encyclopedia
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the French, British and American nations built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana
. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River
.
. He, with thirty-four Canadiens, founded the company post 28 October 1702 for the purpose of trading Buffalo
hides. The post was evidently a success; in the first three years, they collected over 13,000 buffalo hides. When Juchereau died, the post was abandoned, and the settlers left what they considered hostile territory for Mobile
, the capital of Louisiana
. The exact location of Juchereau's trading post is not known, but because of the crossing of the Buffalo Trace
across the Wabash at Vincennes, it is thought by some to have been at or near the modern city of Vincennes. Some other historians place the post 50 miles further south.
, acting under the authority of the French colony of Louisiana
, constructed a fort in 1731-1732. The outpost was designed to secure the lower Wabash Valley
for France, mostly by strengthening ties with the Miami
, Wea
, and Piankashaw nations. It was named Fort Vincennes in honor of Vincennes, who was captured and burned at the stake during a war with the Chickasaw
nation in 1735. In 1736, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive
assumed command of the post. He rebuilt the fort, turned the post into a major trading center, and recruited Canadien traders to lure native peoples to settle there. By 1750, the Piankashaw resettled their village near the post.
On May 18, 1764, St. Ange left the post under British orders to assume command of Fort Chartres. He transferred command to Drouet de Richerville, a local citizen.
. The population grew quickly in the years that followed, creating a unique culture of interdependent Native Americans with French and British farmers, craftsmen, and traders. The site of Ft. Sackville was near the present day intersection of First and Main Sts.
Following the French and Indian War
, the British and colonial governments could not afford the cost of maintaining frontier posts. They did not station troops in the Wabash Valley at all for a decade following the conflict. Thus Fort Vincennes fell into disrepair, and Vincennes was ordered evacuated due to ongoing lawlessness. The residents united and were able to prove to the British authorities that they were permanent residents, not illegal squatters.
British neglect came to an end on June 2, 1774, the British Parliament
passed the Quebec Act
, assimilating the settlements along the Wabash and Missouri Rivers into the British Province of Quebec
. Lieutenant Governor Edward Abbott was sent to Vincennes without troops. Making the best of it, he rebuilt Fort Sackville. Abbott soon resigned, citing lack of support from the crown.
In July 1778, Father Pierre Gibault
arrived with news of the alliance between France and the new United States. The French residents took control of the unoccupied Fort Sackville, and George Rogers Clark
sent Leonard Helm
to command the post. In December, a British force consisting of The King's 8th Regiment and Detroit Volunteers under Lieutenant-Governor Henry Hamilton retook Fort Sackville, and Captain Helm.
Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark marched 130 men through 180 miles of wilderness to Vincennes in February 1779. As he entered town, the French settlers and native peoples joined his force to re-capture Ft. Sackville. Clark had Hamilton's native allies tomahawked
to death as an example and sent Hamilton and his men to jail in Williamsburg, Virginia
as prisoners. He renamed the post Fort Patrick Henry.
Clark's aim in his wilderness campaigns was to remove the British as a threat to Virginia's
settlements in Kentucky
, which was then part of Virginia
. After accomplishing that objective, he returned to Kentucky in an unsuccessful attempt to raise troops for an assault on Fort Detroit
. In spring 1780, the Virginia troops left the Vincennes fort in the hands of local militia.
After the Revolution, several dozen Kentucky families settled in Vincennes. Friction between these Americans, the French local government and the native peoples moved Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to dispatch George Rogers Clark and send troops to the region. Clark arrived at Vincennes in 1786. His attempts to negotiate with neighboring native peoples were unsuccessful. Instead, he created an incident by seizing the goods of Spanish traders, enraging the local population and risking war with Spain. Under orders from the new United States government, Clark and his men left Vincennes in the spring of 1787.
petitioned Secretary of War Henry Dearborn
for money to build a new fort.
were reaching a head. A new captain, Zachary Taylor
, was put in charge of the fort.
Late in 1811 Ft. Knox II had its most important period when it was used as the muster point for Governor Harrison as he gathered his troops, both regular US army and militia, prior to the march to Prophetstown and the Battle of Tippecanoe
. After the battle the troops returned to Ft. Knox at Vincennes and several died there from their wounds. The Ft. Knox II site is now a state historic site, close to present-day Ouabache Trails Park on the outskirts of Vincennes, with the outline of the fort marked with short posts and interpretive signage in a park setting.
In 1813, as the War of 1812
increased the chances of attacks by Native Americans, it was determined that the site outside town was too far away to protect the town. Ft. Knox II was disassembled, floated down the Wabash, and reassembled just a few yards from where Ft. Knox I had been.
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
.
Original Trading Post
The first trading post on the Wabash River was established by the Sieur Juchereau, Lieutenant General of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He, with thirty-four Canadiens, founded the company post 28 October 1702 for the purpose of trading Buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
hides. The post was evidently a success; in the first three years, they collected over 13,000 buffalo hides. When Juchereau died, the post was abandoned, and the settlers left what they considered hostile territory for Mobile
Old Mobile Site
The Old Mobile Site was the location of the French settlement La Mobile and the associated Fort Louis de La Louisiane, in the French colony of New France in North America, from 1702 until 1712. The site is located in Le Moyne, Alabama, on the Mobile River in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta...
, the capital of Louisiana
Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
. The exact location of Juchereau's trading post is not known, but because of the crossing of the Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace may refer to:* Buffalo Trace legendary pioneer trail in southern Indiana* Buffalo Trace Distillery maker of bourbon whiskey* Buffalo Trace Council: a division of Boy Scouts of America based in southwestern Indiana...
across the Wabash at Vincennes, it is thought by some to have been at or near the modern city of Vincennes. Some other historians place the post 50 miles further south.
Fort Vincennes
François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de VincennesFrançois-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes
François Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes was a French Canadian explorer and soldier who established several forts in what is now the U.S. state of Indiana, including Fort Vincennes....
, acting under the authority of the French colony of Louisiana
Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
, constructed a fort in 1731-1732. The outpost was designed to secure the lower Wabash Valley
Wabash Valley
The Wabash Valley is a region with parts in both Illinois and Indiana. It is named for the Wabash River and spans the middle to the middle-lower portion of the river and is centered at Terre Haute, Indiana...
for France, mostly by strengthening ties with the Miami
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
, Wea
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
, and Piankashaw nations. It was named Fort Vincennes in honor of Vincennes, who was captured and burned at the stake during a war with the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
nation in 1735. In 1736, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive
Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive
Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive , was an officer in the French marine troops in New France.- Biographie :Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive was born in Montreal in 1700.In 1720, he followed his father to Fort Saint-Joseph.....
assumed command of the post. He rebuilt the fort, turned the post into a major trading center, and recruited Canadien traders to lure native peoples to settle there. By 1750, the Piankashaw resettled their village near the post.
On May 18, 1764, St. Ange left the post under British orders to assume command of Fort Chartres. He transferred command to Drouet de Richerville, a local citizen.
Fort Sackville
British Lt. John Ramsey came to Vincennes in 1766. He took a census of the settlement, built up the fort, and renamed it Fort Sackville in honor of Lord George Sackville, who had led British forces to victory over the French in the Battle of MindenBattle of Minden
The Battle of Minden—or Thonhausen—was fought on 1 August 1759, during the Seven Years' War. An army fielded by the Anglo-German alliance commanded by Field Marshal Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of France Louis, Marquis de Contades...
. The population grew quickly in the years that followed, creating a unique culture of interdependent Native Americans with French and British farmers, craftsmen, and traders. The site of Ft. Sackville was near the present day intersection of First and Main Sts.
Following the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, the British and colonial governments could not afford the cost of maintaining frontier posts. They did not station troops in the Wabash Valley at all for a decade following the conflict. Thus Fort Vincennes fell into disrepair, and Vincennes was ordered evacuated due to ongoing lawlessness. The residents united and were able to prove to the British authorities that they were permanent residents, not illegal squatters.
British neglect came to an end on June 2, 1774, the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
passed the Quebec Act
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act of 1774 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain setting procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec...
, assimilating the settlements along the Wabash and Missouri Rivers into the British Province of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
. Lieutenant Governor Edward Abbott was sent to Vincennes without troops. Making the best of it, he rebuilt Fort Sackville. Abbott soon resigned, citing lack of support from the crown.
In July 1778, Father Pierre Gibault
Pierre Gibault
Father Pierre Gibault was a Jesuit missionary and priest in the Northwest Territory in the 18th century, and an American Patriot during the American Revolution....
arrived with news of the alliance between France and the new United States. The French residents took control of the unoccupied Fort Sackville, and George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
sent Leonard Helm
Leonard Helm
Leonard Helm was an early pioneer of Kentucky, and a Virginia officer during the American Revolutionary War. Born around 1720 probably in Fauquier County, Virginia, he died in poverty while fighting Native American allies of British troops during one of the last engagements of the Revolutionary...
to command the post. In December, a British force consisting of The King's 8th Regiment and Detroit Volunteers under Lieutenant-Governor Henry Hamilton retook Fort Sackville, and Captain Helm.
Fort Patrick Henry
Tomahawk (axe)
A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
to death as an example and sent Hamilton and his men to jail in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
as prisoners. He renamed the post Fort Patrick Henry.
Clark's aim in his wilderness campaigns was to remove the British as a threat to Virginia's
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
settlements in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, which was then part of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. After accomplishing that objective, he returned to Kentucky in an unsuccessful attempt to raise troops for an assault on Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
. In spring 1780, the Virginia troops left the Vincennes fort in the hands of local militia.
After the Revolution, several dozen Kentucky families settled in Vincennes. Friction between these Americans, the French local government and the native peoples moved Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to dispatch George Rogers Clark and send troops to the region. Clark arrived at Vincennes in 1786. His attempts to negotiate with neighboring native peoples were unsuccessful. Instead, he created an incident by seizing the goods of Spanish traders, enraging the local population and risking war with Spain. Under orders from the new United States government, Clark and his men left Vincennes in the spring of 1787.
Fort Knox I
The new United States government built a new fort a few blocks north of the old one and named it Ft. Knox (usually referred to by local historians as Ft. Knox I), after the US Secretary of War. It was located at the present-day intersection of First and Buntin Sts. During the relative peace with both the British and the Indians from 1787–1803, Ft. Knox was the western-most American military outpost. The garrison at Fort Knox and the population at Vincennes did not get along. In 1796, the garrison was ordered not to venture beyond 100 yards of Fort Knox. Territorial Governor William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
petitioned Secretary of War Henry Dearborn
Henry Dearborn
Henry Dearborn was an American physician, a statesman and a veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, New Hampshire, he spent much of his youth in Epping, where he attended public schools...
for money to build a new fort.
Fort Knox II
In 1803, the federal government approved $200 to build a new fort, and the War Department bought land for the new fort about three miles north of Vincennes, at a Wabash River landing called Petit Rocher, which offered a good view up the river. This fort was also called Ft. Knox, and referred to locally as Ft. Knox II. The sleepy little fort was famous mostly for duels (Captain Thorton Posey shot his second-in-command in 1811) and desertion. But by 1811 disagreements between Gov. Harrison and Indian leader TecumsehTecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
were reaching a head. A new captain, Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
, was put in charge of the fort.
Late in 1811 Ft. Knox II had its most important period when it was used as the muster point for Governor Harrison as he gathered his troops, both regular US army and militia, prior to the march to Prophetstown and the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
. After the battle the troops returned to Ft. Knox at Vincennes and several died there from their wounds. The Ft. Knox II site is now a state historic site, close to present-day Ouabache Trails Park on the outskirts of Vincennes, with the outline of the fort marked with short posts and interpretive signage in a park setting.
In 1813, as the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
increased the chances of attacks by Native Americans, it was determined that the site outside town was too far away to protect the town. Ft. Knox II was disassembled, floated down the Wabash, and reassembled just a few yards from where Ft. Knox I had been.
Fort Knox Abandoned
After the war, the threat of attacks again decreased, and friction between residents and soldiers again became an issue. Since the Native American territories decreased and moved farther north, it was decided to move the garrison to Fort Harrison, near Terre Haute, where the troops had won a victory a few years before. On 10 February 1816, the garrison was ordered to Fort Harrison, and Fort Knox was abandoned. Within weeks, Vincennes residents had stripped the fort of all usable materials.Commanders of Fort Knox (I and II)
| Major John Hamtramck Jean François Hamtramck Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War.... |
1787 | Took command of Fort Lernoult in 1796 |
| Captain Thomas Pasteur | Ordered garrison to stay within 100 yards of Fort Knox on 6 March 1796 Given command of Fort Massac Fort Massac Fort Massac is a colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States.Legend has it that, as early as 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his soldiers constructed a primitive fortification here to defend themselves from native attack... in 1798. |
|
| Captain Honest F. Johnston | 1798 | |
| Captain Cornelius Lyman | 1802 | Began construction of Fort Knox II |
| Captain George Rogers Clark Floyd | 1809 | Arrived with reinforcements due to Native American unrest, and assumed command |
| Captain Thornton Posey | 1811 | Arrived with reinforcements to help finish construction of Fort Knox II Fled Vincennes after killing Lieutenant Jesse Jennings. |
| Captain Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass... |
1811 | Assumed command after Captain Posey fled |
| Lieutenant Josiah Bacon | 1811 | Bacon could not travel to the Battle of Tippecanoe Battle of Tippecanoe The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of... due to an injury caused by a powder explosion, so he was left in temporary command of the fort. |
| Lieutenant Thomas H. Richardson | 1813 | Given command of construction of Fort Knox III Captain Zachary Taylor assumed command when the fort was completed and the garrison moved in. |
| Major John Chunn | 1814 | Ordered to abandon Fort Knox and move garrison to Fort Harrison in 1816 |
External links
- "A Brief History of Vincennes" from Vincennes University
- "Battle of Vincennes, Victory for G. W. Clark" by Charles R. Lampman, Sons of the American RevolutionSons of the American RevolutionThe National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...